When a Snowflake Falls from Home
by Pink Roses 7
Summary: Winter "Snowflake" just moved to Tulsa and wanted to get a job when her car broke down. Waiting for it to get fixed, she meets Sodapop Curtis and his little brother, Ponyboy. After a few days of no luck of getting a job, Steve and Sodapop Curtis re-explain to her she needs to make some friends to get a job. But who to become friends with?
1. Chapter 1: Welcome to Tulsa

**I don't know what I'm doing with my life anymore. I'm _terrible_ and finishing multi-chapter fics. But I just read _The Outsiders_ by S.E. Hinton and just had to write about it. Anywhere, here goes nothing...**

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My car sputtered and gaped as I drove into the gas station. I groaned, pulling the keys out of the ignition and stepping out of the car, letting the keys jingle in my hand. As I waited for my tank to fill, twirling my keys round my finger, a boy walked outta the gas station with a kid in tow.

"Please, come on Soda!" the kid begged. "It ain't gonna hurt you to take off."

"Pony, I can't take off in the middle of a shift." the boy argued. "Maybe tomorrow."

"But they aren't showing the movie tomorrow!" the kid retorted.

My gas pump clicked, and I put it back into the holder. I hopped into my car and turned the keys. The car sputtered. Trying again a few times didn't help. Turning off the car, I crawled out and walked over to the two boys arguing.

"Excuse me." I interrupted. The older boy turned to me. He was nice looking. "My car won't work, you know anywhere I can get it tuned up?"

The younger kid laughed. Him and the older boy looked awful similer. "Shoot! Soda here'll hook ya up with Steve. Best car-fixer this side of town."

My brow furrowed. "Soda?"

The older kid waved. "Me. Sodapop Curtis, at your service."

"And I'm Ponyboy!" the kid interjected. "Ponyboy Curtis."

So the two must be brothers. A small giggle escaped my lips. "What unique names. Those ya'll's real ones?"

"Our dad _was_ pretty unique." Ponyboy said.

Sodapop laughed, but I could see his eyes darken slightly. I decided to put the subject aside. "Well, my name ain't as unique as ya'lls, but I think it's cool." I continued the subject of names. Extending my hand I said, "I'm Winter, but people call me Snowflake 'cause they say I'm like one. Unique I mean."

I didn't look nothing like a snowflake. Snowflakes are supposed to be all white and pretty, but I had the darkest hair and eyes you ever seen. My skin was pretty fair though, but besides that, I didn't have any bit of paleness on me.

Pony shook my hand good-heartedly. "You ain't from 'round here, are ya?"

I shook my head. "Naw. I'm from a couple towns over."

Sodapop smiled. "And what brings you to our little old town, huh?"

"Moving." I responded. "Trying to make a fresh start. But first, I need to get my car fixed."

"Right, right." Sodapop said, walking into the store. Me and Ponyboy followed.

It was a nice little store, selling goods from medicine to cigarettes. " _Might need to buy a pack later_ " I made a mental note to myself. The selves had a nice off-white colour and the items on them really popped against it.

"I'll get Steve to help ya out."

A bang made the counter shake. A guy came up from behind it, rubbing his head. "Who said my name?"

"Winter, Steve. Steve, Winter." Ponyboy gestured between us.

"Nice to meetcha." I held out my hand. "Sodapop here says you can fix up my car."

Steve's face molded itself into a cocky grin. " 'Course I can, little lady." he strolled out of the store. "Give me an hour tops!"

Crossing my arms, I smiled. Looking over to Ponyboy, I asked, "He's quite confident in his car fixing abilities, ain't he?"

Ponyboy grinned. "He's quite confident in everything I'm afraid."

I laughed and strolled 'round the shop. My fingers trailed along the items on the shelves, letting them gently sway behind me. I stopped a few times, grabbing a copy of _Gone with the Wind,_ a few packs of varying foods, and a pack of Kools. Placing the items on the counter, I turned to Sodapop.

"Think you can get ring me up?" I asked, pointing to the register.

Sodapop grinned, jumping over the counter using an arm to steady him. He stood behind the register, the scanner beeping as the items flew over the laser. Getting bored, I sat on the counter top and pulled a weed outta the case. I bit it between my teeth and lit it with my lighter. Ponyboy's eyes widened a bit when he saw me smoking the cigar, and I shrugged.

"Helps calm my nerves. " I blew out a smoke ring. "And I don't see a "No-Smoking" sign around here."

Ponyboy blinked, still looking at my cigarette. "You smoke?"

I exhaled another ring before answering. "You see me with a cigarette in my mouth, and you ask me if I smoke? Sure I do, kid." I took a another draw on my weed while looking him over. Couldn't be more than fourteen, with his small stature. He had a nice shade of hair though, reddish-brown, with a blonde shine in the light. "Your dad think you're too young to smoke?"

"I smoke!" Ponyboy defended. "I've been smoking for almost two years now."

"Yep." Sodapop agreed. "He's the weed fiend in our family. Can't go with smoking least a pack a day. 10.98, by the way."

I grabbed my wallet outta my back pocket and shuffled through my money. Grabbing a ten and a five I slapped them on the counter. "4.02 change." I informed him.

Sodapop gave a good-hearted laugh. "No tip?"

"I need all the money I can keep." I said stiffly. "Getting my car fixed is going to be costly enough."

Ponyboy laughed. "Steve won't make ya pay if you just give him a smooch on the cheek."

His older brother joined in, grinning while saying, "Steve don't get much action, so a kiss might get ya off scot free."

"Ya'll know where a girl could get a job 'round here?" I changed the subject. "I'm running low on cash, and my parents ain't giving me no more money."

Sodapop tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Depends. How old're you?"

"Fifteen. I'll be sixteen in a few days."

"Good. Any special skills?"

"I can draw and I can follow instructions."

"You a Soc or Greaser?"

"Excuse me?" I raised a brow. Soc or a Greaser? I'd never heard those terms before in my life.

"Soc or a Greaser?" Ponyboy parroted Sodapop. "They're the two kinda people living 'round here."

"Soc are the richy kids." Sodapop started.

"Greaser are people like us." Ponyboy continued. "Poorer than the poor."

I took out my cigarette and blew out a long draw of smoke. Re-looking the two over they didn't look poorer than the poor. Ponyboy had on a nice jacket and a shirt underneath. His hair shone with grease, but he didn't look poor. Sodapop wore a tee under his open DX uniform, his brown hair having the same shine as his brothers. Both wore worn jeans, with tears and rips at the knees and thighs. Both were wearing shoes of good condition. "Ya'll don't look 'poorer than the poor." I stated my thoughts. "But if I where anything in this mumbo-jumbo, I'd recon I'd be a Greaser."

Ponyboy grinned. "You think you're a greaser?"

Confused, I nodded. "Yeah. I certainly ain't a 'richy kid'."

"Tell that to your clothes." Sodapop gestured towards my attire.

I had worn what I had. A nice cotton shirt with a design that spelled 'I'm a Sporty Chick' across the front. My jeans weren't worn like theirs were, and my shoes where some white converses.

"If Socs are rich kids, don't they, I don't know..." I made twirling gesture with my hand. "Dress in suites and dresses all the time or something?"

Ponyboy scoffed at me. "Socs got so much money they don't know what to do with it." He looked me in the eye. "Do ya know what they do for fun?"

I shook my head.

"Beat up Greasers." Sodapop finished. His face was no longer playful and happy, but serious with a tone of pity. "They don't know what to do with their lives, so they beat up Greasers."

I coughed at the amount of smoke building up in my mouth and lungs. Sliding off the counter, I yanked that cigarette outta my mouth and thew it in the garbage. "I can take care of myself." I muttered. Turning to face them, I crossed my arms. I gave Ponyboy a glance, then turned to Sodapop. "I'll be needing my items now, Curtis."

Sodapop shook his head, as if some bug was flying 'round him, then scooted my items across the counter to me. I grabbed a pack of chips and crunched down on one, sitting back on top of the counter again. "So what does it matter if I'm a Soc or a Greaser?"

"Socs don't hire Greasers and Greasers don't hire Socs." Ponyboy answered. He shrugged. "Just the way we're divided up."

"Well, if I'm a Greaser, where can _I_ find some work." I asked, rephrasing my original question. "I only got hundred or so cash left."

"First you gotta make some friends." Sodapop said. "If word gets around the street you got some tuff friends, people'll be more willing to hire."

"Then you gotta be good at something." Ponyboy continued. "Steve's good at working on cars, and Soda here'll attract business."

"Business?" I questioned.

"Girls." Ponyboy explained. He pointed at his brother. "Soc or Greaser, they'll come by to get a look at Sodapop Curtis here."

"After that you gotta find someone willing to hire." Soda interjected quickly. "That's why you need some friends, they'll know where to get you somewhere."

"Then ya get a job." Ponyboy concluded.

I scoffed, tossing another chip in my mouth. "Yep. Real simple."

Checking the clock I saw almost an hour had gone by. Huh. Felt shorter than that. I grabbed the stuff I'd bought and walked outside. Sure enough, Steve was out there leaning against my car. Waving he called, "Howdy, little lady! Told ya, and hour tops."

I rolled my eyes, walking over to put my stuff in my car. The hairs on my neck raised as I felt his gaze on my head. "How much did it cost?"

"Not much, only around fifty dollar." Steve said. He ran his hand down the length of one of the doors. "You gotta a nice car here."

"Thanks." I muttered, scavenging through my wallet to find some money. I hand Steve a few crumbled tens and fives. "I outta find a place to stay tonight." I said, hopping into the car.

"Ya know, the Curtis' house's door is always unlocked." Steve said, winking at me.

"Okay." I muttered, starting the car. "Thanks for all the help."

And with that I drove outta the DX and into wherever the heck life chose to take me.

* * *

 **Phew! That was one of my longest fics yet. I tried to use _The Ousiders_ writing style, but I failed, I know. ANYWHO... What do you think of Winter? She's just a random character I made for this fic, but I have an interesting story with her. All I'm going to say for now is that I'm trying to write someone being introduced to the world of _The Outsiders_ with a... different backstory. Yes, I will have minor romance plots in this, but I trying to make this less of a cheesy romance novel. **


	2. Chapter 2: Jumped

**Look, I'm on Christmas break, so I have a _lot_ more spare time. Don't start expecting this so often. Once I'm off break, expect one update every month or so.**

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Wherever the heck life chose to take me was an under an old bridge. I couldn't afford a hotel room with only fifty dollars, plus I knew _no one_ 'round this place, so what other option was there really? Getting my suitcase from the back I opened it up and grabbed two blankets and a flat pillow. Crawling into the back, I sat my suitcase in the front seat and covered the back seat with a blanket. Laying down, I stuffed my pillow under my head and let my contentiousness drift off into a dreamless slumber.

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The early rays of sunlight hit my eyes as if they here fingers, poking and prodding me. Wake up, wake up, they seemed to chant. I groggily opened one eye to be blinded by the rising sun. Sunrises. Put that one my _Don't Ever Look at That Directly in the Eye_ list, along with snakes and spiders. Yawning, I sat up only to be hit by my ceiling.

"Dang it." I muttered, rubbing my head while slouching down to avoid future hits to the head.

I clambered my way outta my car and into the driver's seat, sitting my suitcase down in the passengers. I folded up my blankets and stuffed them and my pillow into the case. After a monumental effect I managed to lock the case. Making sure my wallet was lodged in my back pocket I opened my door and locked my car behind me. Might as well start the day off walking, right? I walked around the park, taking in the scenery of red, orange, and yellow. An autumn breeze blew against my face, and I could feel the chill on my bare skin. I started daydreaming about everything and nothing at the same time, letting my legs carry me wherever. After a while of daydreaming the sounds of cars rushing by me snapped me outta it. I was walking down a sidewalk in the middle of town, and had almost finished crossing the street when I noticed a sign for a drive-in movie. I paused, contemplating whether to go in or not. In the end I skipped the movie and kept walking.

"Yo, I just spotted some fresh meat!" A voice from behind me yelled.

"She ain't half-bad looking either!" Another voice responded.

I crossed my arms and began to walk faster.

"Yo!" the first voice called. "Chick with the nice converses."

I sped walked faster.

"Why don't you come on over here with us and watch a movie?" the second voice requested.

"No." I said firmly back. "I need to get going."

One of the guys cut me off. " _This guy_ must _be a Soc_ " I thought. The guy in question had on a white muscle shirt with a athlete's jacket to boot. "What's the rush, babe?" He got dangerously close. "Why don't you settle down for a bit?" I could feel his breath.

I swung my arm around as fast as I could and laid a hit to the creep's face. He laughed, looking back at me with his busted lip. Wiping the blood onto his hand, he smiled. "I like 'em feisty." he stated.

I swung my other fist at him, but he caught it. Thinking fast, I kneed him in the stomach, then hit him again with my free hand. He held his stomach as he looked at me again. I growled, giving a _Don't Mess with Me_ face. His face contorted into a snarl as I felt someone grab me from behind. I elbowed the person behind me and took another swing at the first guy. Turning 'round real quick I kicked the other guy back, then turned to see the first guys fist collide with my eye. Squinting shut one eyes I gave him another punch to the jaw and got one to the stomach in return.

"Ya wanna fight, now, do ya?" I asked with my fists up.

He smiled and landed another punch to my face. As I fell to the ground I heard him say, "Come on Ben. She ain't worth it."

Blood gushed outta my nose, staining my hands and clothes with the liquid. I tried to look around, but my left eye was swelling shut, and my abdomen was too sore to move. So I just keeled there for a minute or two, blood still running outta my nose and blind in one eye 'till I heard a new voice say, "Golly, Darry, look over there!"

I heard footsteps approach me, and I managed to stand up. Turning around, I saw Ponyboy and an older man walking over to me. "Winter!" he cried as he identified me. "What in the world happened to you?"

I held my nose and muttered, "Few cat-callers where making me a little peeved."

The older guy gently put a hand on my shoulder. "You okay?" he asked tentatively. "That shiner looks pretty bad."

"I'm fine." I muttered, holding my nose to help stop the bleeding. "Either one of you two have a tissue?"

Ponyboy reached into his pocket to pull out nothing. Smiling sheepishly, he asked, "You wanna come over to our place? We can help patch you up."

I exhaled loudly. "I guess it couldn't hurt." I muttered. "Depending on how far you live."

"Only a couple blocks, don't worry." Ponyboy's adult friend assured me. "Come on, follow us."

I squinted though my right eye to follow the two round a few blocks. What I could see of the town was quaint, with small shops and drugstores on every street. There seemed to be one store for everything, from flowers to pastries to party supplies. Each had a nice color scheme for themselves. After a little while we walked into a neighborhood full of older houses. I followed the two guy into a house to find three others. Two I recognized from yesterday, Sodapop Curtis with his nice-looking face and brown hair, and Steve, the guy who fixed up my car. The third guy seemed to be older, with a pudgy stomach and _very_ greasy rust colored hair. He wore a leather jacket with a Mickey Mouse shirt underneath.

"Yo, Pony, Superman." he greeted the two boys. "Who this chick you picked up?"

"Winter?" Sodapop turned to me, surprised. His eyes widened at the sight of me. I guess it _is_ kinda strange if you meet a girl new to town at your workplace who doesn't know anything about the town, then meet her the next day with your younger brother with a black eye and a bloody nose. "What're you doing here?"

"We saw her outside the drive in." Ponyboy explained. "All hunched over and stuff. She said some guys were cat-calling her and got a few hits."

"Socs." Steve muttered. "No doubt about it."

I finally really looked at him, noticing his hair was combed back in random swirls. I bet'cha he used more grease than all the boys in here combined to get it to stay like that. He wore a DX uniform like Sodapop's, but instead buttoning it up. He was idly looking at a book, flipping through the pages as he pleased without reading them.

"Ya'll got any tissues around here?" I asked again, taking a look 'round the place.

"Sure, sure." Ponyboy said, walking into a hallway to get some.

The house wasn't great and big, but it sure was more homely than my place. The living room was the first place you walked into from the door, furnished with a couch in front of a TV and two chairs to the side. An open archway showed the way into the kitchen with an sink and fridge visual from my angle.

Ponyboy came walking back with a box of tissue in his hand. He handed it on over to my, and I grabbed a few outta the box and held them over my still-bleeding nose.

"Pinch at the bridge." the greasy haired kid advised me. "Helps it stop more quickly."

"And you are...?" I asked, letting my question fade out.

"Two-Bit." The guy said. "Two-Bit Matthews."

I nodded in his direction. My nose finally stopped bleeding, and I wiped off the blood off onto my jeans. I crumbled the tissue and tossed it into a nearby trashcan. I rubbed my nose with the back of my hand and turned to the oldest guy. "And your name is?"

"Darrel Curtis." he stated, facing away from me.

My brain slowly drew a conclusion. Turning round the room full circle I looked at Ponyboy and Sodapop. "Ya'll are brothers?" I asked.

The three nodded. "Darry's the oldest, twenty-one." Ponyboy informed me. "Sodapop's in the middle, seventeen-going-on-eighteen. And I'm the youngest."

Soda affectionately rubbed Ponyboy's head. "This kid here's fourteen."

"Fifteen!" Ponyboy quickly corrected. "I've been fifteen for two weeks now, Soda!"

I giggled at the two's brotherly love. "You two have to be the closest brothers I've ever seen."

Sodapop smiled. "Yeah, thick as thieves us two."

I looked outside the window. "Well, I outta head out to get some grub."

"You can stay here, if you want." Ponyboy offered.

I looked out the window. The clouds were gathering up and turning grey. "I suppose so."

* * *

 **Another pretty long chapter. I'm hoping for every chapter to be about 1,000 to 2,000 words. Also, I've _research_ _ed_ for this fic. I'm trying to make the dates and stuff as accurate as possible. I'm using the offical Outsiders Wiki for research, along with Google for dates. This fic is also supposed to take place almost a year after the events in the book/movie, as shown by Ponyboy being newly fifteen and other peoples ages. I take inspiration from the book _and_ the movie for appearances, so sorry if things don't match up the way you want them to. Hope you liked, please put your comments and critics in a review! **


	3. Chapter 3: Best Chicken Dinner Ever

**Quick shout out to River Over Stone for leaving the first review!**

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I never thought I'd meet a guy that could cook better than my chief. But, boy howdy, did Darrel Curtis prove me wrong. I don't recon I'd ever had chicken so good. Nice and juicy, with a good crunch on the skin. I think I mighta been the worst eater there outta us all. What can I say? The chicken was good. Juice dribbling down my chin I asked, "So what'da ya'll do for fun 'round these parts?"

Ponyboy swallowed his chicken before answering, "I like to read and see movies."

"Drag racing is fun." Sodapop added before wiping his mouth on a napkin. "And dancing if pretty fun too."

"Ya'll have dances?" I asked, mouth full of chicken.

"Sure we do." Two-Bit confirmed. "Soda here goes to almost all of 'em."

I took another bite outta my chicken. I raised a brow at Sodapop. "You can dance?"

Sodapop opened his, about to take when Two-Bit interrupted him before he spoke. " 'Course he can. He's the best dancer outta us all."

"Really?" I questioned, swallowing my food. Propping an elbow on the table I laid my head down on my palm, staring into Soda's eyes. "Waltz?"

He nodded.

"Square dancing?"

"Yep."

"Folk?"

"Easily."

"Round dance?"

"Please. Anything difficult?"

"Ballet?"

Steve snorted, and Ponyboy barely prevented himself from spewing his food our of his mouth. Around the table all of the boys began to burst into laughter, Sodapop being the only exception. His ears started to ombre into red. "Yes..." he muttered.

"Do you?" Ponyboy asked me, still laughing.

I sat down my fork on the table, letting it clatter on the table's hard surface. My chair scrapped across the floor at I stood up from the sitting. I confidently strode out of the kitchen into the living room; hopping on top of the table and giving the others a cheeky smile as they filtered into the archway. Giving them a confident curtsy with an imaginary skirt, a leaped into a ballet routine I knew by heart. I spun around multiple times lifting one foot to meet the knee of the other leg, then jumped off the table and landed with a bend in my legs. Straightening my legs, I spun again this time implementing my arms into motion. I spun out of the door and onto the porch, stopping to get onto my toes. Gently moving on my toes to balance, I moved my arms in a waving motion. From my left arm to my right arm then back, then I used the motion to pull my right arm towards my head while leaning back. Standing back up I smiled at the others, my feet going flat again. "Maybe just a little bit of ballet."

The five guys had followed me onto the porch, gathering right outside the door. Ponyboy's eyes gleamed with wonderment, while the others looked at me with mild impression.

"How long you been practicing?" Ponyboy asked.

"Since I was about five." I answered, giving him a grin. "You look like a smart kid, so what's sixteen minus five?"

Ponyboy counted on his fingers, his mouth moving but no audible sound escaping his lips. Looking back at me he answered, "So, about eleven years."

I nodded, sitting on the railing of the porch. "Mom made me practice at least an hour of ballet if I had the time, so I've overall praticed-"

"At minimum 4,015 hours!" Ponyboy finished. "Or almost 168 days!"

Smiling, I ruffled his hair. "Hey!" he protested, trying to fix his hair back.

"You're a pretty smart kid." I complemented him. His ears turned red like Sodapop's earlier and I giggled. "And pretty cute two. You must have the ladies falling at your feet with your personality."

His face was consumed by a blush, turning away from me he quickly muttered, "I ain't got no ladies falling for me, that's for sure..."

I laughed, looking over to Darrel. "So... Lunch was good." I commented. "You'll have to give me some tips sometime."

"You don't know how to cook?" Darrel asked.'

I shook my head. "My cook always made our meals."

"You had a cook?" Steve asked.

"So you know ballet too?" I turned to Soda. His ears turned red again.

"Yeah." he leaned against the doorway, trying to look like he didn't care. "Mom made me take it for about a year when I was little."

I giggled. "Aw, how cute." I closed my left eye the rest of the way, squinting at him with one eye. "I can just see a little Sodapop dance around in a ballet studio."

His cheeks turned a light rose as he turned to face away from me. "I barely remember any of it, but I can still do a few things."

"Well I won't push it." I slide off the railing and patted him on the shoulder as I went back inside the house. "Thanks for the food, by the way, Darrel."

I pushed my chair in from the table and gathered up the silverware on top of my plate. Grabbing all my arranged items I carried the plate into the kitchen and dumped it into the sink. I spun on my heel to turn 'round and I walked back out the door, the guys had already come to sit down in the living room. "I'll be getting outta ya'll's way." I called without looking back. "See ya 'round!"

Stepping off the porch I took a second to look behind me at the Curtis' house. " _I might have to come and visit them again sometime._ ", I thought to myself. I chuckled to myself, thinking about the crazy people I met over there. " _Two-Bit, the guy who always had to put in his two bits, Steve, the car fixer that was indifferent to everything, and the Curtis brothers. Ponyboy is the cutest little kid I ever met, with a sweet personality and easily_ _embarrassed._ " I think it's fun to embarrass others, seeing them blush makes me almost drop down laughing every time. " _Sodapop seems to be kind and care about others, but, boy, does he have a nice face to look at. Darrel, the best cook I'll ever meet, and someone who seems to have to grow up too fast._ "

"You gonna leave, or just stand there staring at our house?"

"Huh?" I shook my head. I guess I was so lost in thought I never looked away from the house. "Oh, sorry to be a bother." I apologized to Sodapop. "I'll be heading out now."

Sodapop grabbed my wrist for a second, his hand lingering there for a second. "You sure you're gonna be fine walking home all by yourself?"

I smiled and pointed to my black eye. "How do you think I got this shiner?" I chuckled. "I can protect myself, Curtis, don't worry."

He chuckled with me, then looked at me again with his chocolate eyes. "You sure?"

"Don't you worry Mr. Sodapop." I pulled my wrist out of his grip. "I'll see around after I get a job 'round this joint."

"Bye." he said, walking back into the house.

"Bye." I responded.

As I walked back through the town I kept my wrist clasped in my other hand. Looking around the town again, this time searching for a _Work Needed_ or _Now Hiring_ sign. I went back to my car without seeing any sign asking someone to come in for a job. The clouds above thundered in anger, and lighting danced across the sky to show the sky rage. I groaned, stepping into my car and closing the door tightly. I got a pack of cheese puffs and crunched down on two at a time. The rain began to pour, the water drops drawing streaks in the air. I sat back in my seat, watching the drops of heaven race each other down my windshield as I slowly drifted off with cheese dust on my hand and face.

* * *

 **Second day in Tulsa and poor Winter still hasn't found a job! If any of the two people reading this want to know when this takes place it's one year after _The Outsiders_ takes place. The day this fic starts if August 6, 1965, to be specific. I will _hopefully_ be able to update in a few days. _DON'T GET USED TO THIS, I'M ONLY ON BREAK FOR ONE MORE WEEK._ Sorry that this chapter is so short :/**


	4. Chapter 4: Forename

**Look! A cover image. Yes, I did draw that. :P**

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I woke up with sunlight blazing through my car window. Opening my right eye I squeezed it shut again. Dumb sunrises always waking me up at the crack of dawn. I brushed a few out of place hairs from my face when I noticed the cheese powder still one my fingers. Licking the sticky powder off my lips I scrapped off the rest from my fingers using my teeth. " _Guess that's my breakfast._ " I thought to myself, the stale taste making me cringe. I wondered how much food would cost. " _A simple breakfast of two eggs and bacon would be around a dollar, and adding on tip and tax would add an extra thirty cents or so..._ " I guess I could afford one breakfast, then I would look for a job. Getting out of the car I heard my food make a _squish_ as it made contact with the ground. Grimacing, I got the rest of my body out of the car and slammed the door shut. I internally cringed with every step, my shoes getting ruined by the mud coating them. After walking into a restaurant I bought a breakfast to go, a couple scrambled eggs and four pieces of bacon. It cost a little more than I expected, about $1.74, but I happily handed over the two dollars, and received the 26 cents back, knowing it would get me a warm breakfast.

"Thank you, ma'am." I thanked the waitress.

"You have a nice day, young one." she responded as waved goodbye.

I smiled to her, but when I turned away I silently rolled my eyes to myself. I mean, I was almost sixteen, I wasn't _that_ young. Opening the bag I crunched down on a piece of bacon as I walk down the sidewalk looking to see if anyone had hung up a sign asking for help. As I continued to eat, walk, and stare at window I finished my breakfast, then promptly ran into a wall.

"Ow..." I muttered, rubbing my sore thigh.

"Sorry about that little lady." I heard a voice above me apologize. I looked up to see Steve offering his hand to help me up. As I hesitantly took it he winked. "Just heading over to the DX. Wanna join me?"

As I stood I gave him a questioning stare. "Why?"

"You got a nice car." he explained. "I'd like to see how she's doing after replacing her battery."

"She?" I questioned his pronoun.

He nodded smugly. "Almost all cars are shes. You haven't named your car?"

"No." I scoffed. "People do that?"

" 'Course they do!" Steve defended. "You're the weird one here."

"Well, I'd _love_ to join you," I put extra sarcasm on 'love'. "but my car is currently parked under a bridge serving as my bed."

Steve gave an exaggerated gasp. "How dare you treat a car with such disrespect!"

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms. "Whatever, it's _my_ car so _I_ can do whatever I want with it."

"Can you at least let me and Soda look at her?" Steve begged. "She's a nice car."

I groaned. "If I say yes, will you leave me alone for the rest of the week?"

He gave me a cocky grin. "Yep, scout's honor." he saluted.

"Fine." I said, exasperated of the conversation. Walking towards the DX sign to the west I told Steve, "Let's find Sodapop Curtis and get this over with."

I could feel Steve's smirk behind me. "Whatever you say little lady."

After ten minutes of walking we finally made it to the gas station. I quickly found Sodapop, surrounded by girls, outside the station. Turning back to Steve I gestured for him to get Sodapop. Smirking, he yelled, "Soda!"

Sodapop turned to face us. He waved.

"Come on over!" Steve made a large waving gesture with his arm. "The little lady over here's gonna let us see that tuff car."

Sodapop took awhile to come over, having to shove off all the girls surrounding him, and said, "Well, hey, buddy." to Steve. "What did you say? Couldn't hear you."

"I said..." Steve made a dramatic pause. " 'The little lady over here's gonna let us see that tuff car.' "

I glared at Steve. "I have a name you know."

Steve waved his hand as if shooing off a fly. "So where's your tuff car?"

"Follow me." I muttered, walking off into the direction of my car. The two boys followed behind me, anxious to see the 'tuff' car. After finally walking under the bridge, I made a dramatic gesture and announced, "Look! It's the tough car! Such amazing-ness." before muttering, "Will you leave me alone now?"

Steve and Sodapop circled around my car, observing every bit of it.

"Mustang?" Steve asked.

I shrugged. "Yeah, I think."

"How much did you pay for this?" Sodapop asked in wonder.

"I don't know, my parents bought it for me." I answered. "Maybe $2,500 or so."

Sodapop and Steve gaped at me. "Really?" Sodapop asked.

I have a small nod.

"That's more money than I've ever had in my life!" Steve exclaimed.

I shrugged again. "My parents had money." Sodapop's mouth opened to speak, but I cut him off sharply. "Can you guy's leave me be? I need to find a job around here, so if you guys wouldn't mind..."

Sodapop closed his mouth, then molded it into a grin. "Didn't I tell you?" he asked. "Ya gotta make friends if you wanna get a job."

"I can find a job by myself, thank you very much." I retorted. "I don't need your guys's help."

"Have you seen a "Help Wanted" sign around here?" Steve asked.

"No." I muttered after a quick pause.

"No one 'round these parts hang one up." Sodapop explained. "Do you know why?"

I guess I got my share of karma, 'cause when I opened my mouth Steve answered for me. "Because they know their employees have friends, and if they have friends, word'll get around that they need a job."

"Why have signs when the word gets 'round in a few days?" Sodapop concluded.

I nodded slowly. "I see." shooing the boys away from my car I leaned against the side. "So, why would anyone want to be friends with the new girl in town?"

Steve shrugged. "You got any good qualities?"

"I'm guess I'm pretty patient." I said. "I mean, I've dealt with you this long."

Sodapop snickered, while Steve scoffed. "I'm good at keeping someone in a conversation." I continued, starting to count on my fingers. "I don't deal with any bull crap from stupid people, I'm good at getting others attention... and I can listen, and follow, instructions." I turned to the two of them. "That able to get me anywhere?"

"Sounds like you could work at a store." Steve said. "Maybe you could help around the DX."

"Would that mean I would have to deal with you all day?" I asked. "I don't know if I could do that..."

Steve laughed. "Don't you worry little lady, I work on the cars." he assured me. "You'd have to deal with Soda here, instead."

"Least Curtis here knows how to shut his trap." I pointed out.

"I have a first name ya know." Sodapop said.

"I stand corrected." I muttered. "He _sometimes_ knows when to shut his trap."

"How old're you again?" Steve asked.

"I'm gonna be sixteen on the tenth." I answered. "So that's in, what, two days?"

"Well, I was working at the DX when I was sixteen, so I think you could work over there with no problems." Sodapop said. "Besides, we don't have any gals working over at the station."

I blew a stray hair out of my face. "I'll think about it." I then proceeded to open my car door and grab a bag of chips out of the passenger seat. Noisily opening the bag I stared at the two. "How much does it pay?"

"Not bad, around five dollars a week." Sodapop answered. He reached for a chip and I smacked his hand away. He rubbed his hand as if I had really hurt him.

"My chips." I chastised him. "No touching."

Steve laughed. "Little lady-"

"Winter." I corrected him. "My name is Winter, stop calling me little lady." Steve floundered with his words, clearing never been corrected like that. "I told you I don't deal with bull crap from stupid people."

Sodapop laughed and patted me on the shoulder. "If you work at the DX I think we'll get along well."

I grinned at him, but side-stepped away from his hand, still lingering on my shoulder. "Well don't think that _you're_ excluded from the stupid people. I just can't tell with you 'cause you don't spit out as much stupidity as Steve." I teased.

Steve stuck his tongue out at me.

"Mature." Sodapop commented. "Real mature, Steve."

I stuck my tongue out back at Steve and blew a raspberry. Steve and Sodapop laughed at my child-ness. Giggling along with them, I felt happier than I had since I arrived in the little town of Tulsa. "I'll consider joining the DX."

"You should, it's good fun." Sodapop said.

Steve chuckled. "You would say that. You always have all the girls on you."

Sodapop blushed, but smiled. "Yeah, I guess so."

"You have a habit of blushing, you know?" I asked him. The blood on his cheeks rushed up to meet the red on his ears. I giggled. "That's priceless."

"You dig good, Winter." Steve complimented me. For once he called me my name. "If you can get Pepsi-Cola to blush, you dig good."

"Pepsi-Cola?" I questioned.

"My nickname." Sodapop explained. "Dad gave it to me."

At the mention of his father I saw his eyes darken. Once again I put the subject away in my mind. "So, Curtis-"

"My name is Sodapop ya know." he interrupted. "Soda for short."

"Isn't Curtis also your name?" I countered. "It's your surname, ain't it?"

Sodapop paused. "True, but I prefer to be called Sodapop or Soda."

"Okay." I nodded. "Make you a deal. If you can tell me the traditional name for your first name, I'll call you Soda;Pepsi-Cola if I'm feeling nice.."

"Um..." Soda pondered for a minute. "Fore...name?"

I raised my brows in mock surprise. "Good. You could have also chosen given name." I explained. "You and your brother are pretty smart. What grade're you guys in."

"Ponyboy's in tenth grade..." Sodapop picked at his nails. "I would be a senior, but I dropped out."

"Oh." the soft sound of surprise left my lips. "I wouldn't think of you as a dropout."

Sodapop chuckled. "Yeah, thanks."

"Any reason?" I asked innocently, not wanting to push the subject.

Sodapop fingers continued to fidget and pick. "I was dumb."

I softly put a hand on his shoulder. "I know my opinion doesn't matter, but I don't think you're dumb." Steve's stomach gurgled with hunger, and I took a step back in surprise. I quickly looked at Sodapop, then laughed. "I think I've occupied you guys enough. You all should get back to work, I'll just look around for a place to eat."

As I started to walk away I felt a warm hand grab my wrist. Turning back around I saw Sodapop looking at me with thoses eyes. I had a quick flashback to yesterday, when we landed in this same situation.

"You know, you can come and eat with us." Sodapop offered

I smiled, but my logical mind thought for a second. "I don't really know if I could afford that."

"I'll pay." Sodapop stated. "Don't you worry."

I tapped my chin in mock thought. "Okay."

Sodapop looked like his face was about to split with his smile. I returned a smaller smile, then turned to follow Soda.

* * *

 **Easter egg! Notice how when Soda corrects Winter, she calls it interrupting, but when she corrects Steve, she calls it, well correction. Also, Steve called Winter by her real name! Tell me if you find the last "Easter egg" in a review!**


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